01/06

Rossy

MAC Rossy Lipstick ($17.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a muted, medium-dark purpled mauve with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It had good pigmentation, though not opaque, that covered the lips with even coverage. The consistency was smooth, almost velvety, and glided across my lips without dragging. The color wore well for five hours and was neither drying nor hydrating, but I did find the color seemed to sink into my lip lines over time.

Formula Overview

$17.50/0.10 oz. - $175.00 Per Ounce

MAC Lipstick comes in a variety of finishes, and the pigmentation and wear tend to be dependent on the finish. The sheer finishes, like Lustres, tend to wear for only a couple of hours and have sheer coverage (as designed) and are non-drying. Some of the original Matte shades have a stiffer, drier formula, while newer ones have a more velvety, silicone-feel to them, and the latter are creamier, more comfortable to wear, and easier to apply, but most Matte shades are quite pigmented and long-wearing, though some are drying. The Amplified and Satin finishes tend to have good pigmentation, lightly creamy to moderately creamy consistencies with a bit of shine, and moderate to long wear with deeper, richer shades wearing longer. The Frost and Metallic finishes have the most variance between shades with coverage ranging from semi-sheer to opaque with average wear and non-drying to slightly drying formulas. All MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste.

Lara

Tom Ford Beauty Lara Boys & Girls Lip Color Sheer ($36.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a medium-dark, pink-coral with warm undertones and fine pearl. It had semi-sheer color coverage that applied evenly across the lips and did not emphasize my lip lines. The consistency was lightweight, lightly emollient but not overly slippery, so while it was comfortable to wear, it did last for a solid three hours. The formula felt lightly hydrating to me.

Formula Overview

$36.00/0.07 oz. - $514.29 Per Ounce

The Lip Color Sheer formula is supposed to have a "semi-sheer effect" with a "creamy" and "hydrating" formula. They are a sheerer lip color, which may or may not be one's cup of tea; if you are looking for pigment, look elsewhere, but if you're someone who likes sheerer coverage, lightweight, hydrating textures, then it might be a formula for you. There are several shades in the range that have a more transformative effect, as they contain a lot of shimmer/sparkle or have a more duochrome or iridescent-like finish. There are others, typically deeper, richer hues (reds, berries, etc.) that are more medium coverage. The wear ranged a lot from as short as two hours to as long as five hours but most wore around three hours. The formula is lightly hydrating with a very lightweight feel on the lips. They are vanilla scented but have no discernible taste.

Noire et Blanche

NARS Noire et Blanche Audacious Lipstick Coffret ($55.00 for 0.32 oz.) includes four miniature-sized lipsticks with three of the four shades being new and one is a repeat from the permanent range (Charlotte). Three shades were quite pigmented and one was semi-opaque, and all four lasted for at least five hours on me and were no hardship to wear or to test. I noticed the texture of Charlotte and Josephine was thinner and less creamy compared to the Audacious formula on average.

Value

A full-sized Audacious Lipstick retails for $34.00 and contains 0.14 oz. or costs $242.86/oz. The set contains $77.71 worth of product.

Flashback

Urban Decay Flashback Vice Liquid Lipstick ($18.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a medium purple with warm, pink undertones and a sparkling sheen. The consistency was lightweight, thin, and on the watery side, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when it did not apply evenly and some of the shimmer gathered more heavily in some areas than others. A second layer did not work well, due to the uneven initial layer, and there was a lot of flaking during wear if a second layer was applied. It had semi-sheer coverage that lasted for about five hours on me but was drying.

Formula Overview

$18.00/0.17 oz. - $105.88 Per Ounce

The Vice Liquid Lipstick formula is supposed to be “intensely pigmented” with “complete coverage in one coat” and “nondrying wear” that is “comfortable” and “waterproof.” The majority of the Metallized shades are not even close to one-coat coverage–maybe three or four or coats!–and did not layer evenly, plus they had a tendency to lose sparkle/glitter through wear. Whenever a shade wasn’t opaque in one coat, it often looked streaky or uneven. There were some shades that had fantastic, one-coat coverage, while others featured more medium, buildable coverage but several applied uneven, patchy, and didn’t level or improve after drying down even with a second layer.

The consistency of the formula was smooth, lightweight, and comfortable to apply, but the dry down was lengthy and some shades never fully felt dry (instead, lightly tacky). There was a learning curve to applying and wearing these, too, as they were unforgiving if you accidentally press your lips together before the formula has dried down–the formula is quite tacky as it dries down and pressed lips together results in color lifting away. The wear varied from shade to shade (and between finishes) from four to eight hours, and so far, most were true to the nondrying claim, at least. I didn’t notice any scent or taste with them.

They were difficult to remove compared to most products; I had the best luck saturating a cotton pad with eye or lip makeup remover (Neutrogena, Lancome, Shiseido, etc.), yet curiously were not that long-wearing on me (relative to liquid lipsticks)–they seemed to develop a little tackiness with any meal or drink (even just water) and degraded from there. Overall, the formula was extremely disappointing after the successful Vice lipstick launch last year.

Monica

Tom Ford Beauty Monica Boys & Girls Ultra-Rich Lip Color ($36.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a muted, medium brown with warm, orange undertones and a cream finish. It had semi-sheer color coverage that applied evenly and smoothly across the lips. The consistency was lightweight, creamy without being too slippery, and comfortable to wear. This shade lasted for three hours and was lightly hydrating while worn.

Formula Overview

$36.00/0.07 oz. - $514.29 Per Ounce

The Ultra-Rich Lip Color formula is supposed to have "full-coverage" and "high-shine" that "moisturizers lips instantly." The majority of the range had semi-opaque coverage with a few being sheerer and some with more full coverage. The finish was more luminous--shiny but not glossy or heavy--which meant they had moderate slip, so they tended to wear around four hours on me. There were some of the deeper shades (like reds) that lasted longer and left subtle stains behind. I found the formula to be lightly to moderately hydrating over time. They are vanilla scented but have no discernible taste.

Cruel

Urban Decay Cruel Vice Liquid Lipstick ($18.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a medium-dark red with warm, copper undertones and flecks of gold and copper sparkle. It had semi-sheer to medium, buildable coverage, though the texture was unforgiving. It had a thin, watery feel as it was going on the lips, and it did not spread evenly, which caused patchiness and the sparkles to build up in some areas but not everywhere. The shimmer/sparkle dispersion was just mediocre. It did not wear very well either, as the sparkles tended to flake away over time, and the color itself barely made it to four hours (which is remarkably short for this type of formula). To make matters worse, it was extremely drying.

Formula Overview

$18.00/0.17 oz. - $105.88 Per Ounce

The Vice Liquid Lipstick formula is supposed to be “intensely pigmented” with “complete coverage in one coat” and “nondrying wear” that is “comfortable” and “waterproof.” The majority of the Metallized shades are not even close to one-coat coverage–maybe three or four or coats!–and did not layer evenly, plus they had a tendency to lose sparkle/glitter through wear. Whenever a shade wasn’t opaque in one coat, it often looked streaky or uneven. There were some shades that had fantastic, one-coat coverage, while others featured more medium, buildable coverage but several applied uneven, patchy, and didn’t level or improve after drying down even with a second layer.

The consistency of the formula was smooth, lightweight, and comfortable to apply, but the dry down was lengthy and some shades never fully felt dry (instead, lightly tacky). There was a learning curve to applying and wearing these, too, as they were unforgiving if you accidentally press your lips together before the formula has dried down–the formula is quite tacky as it dries down and pressed lips together results in color lifting away. The wear varied from shade to shade (and between finishes) from four to eight hours, and so far, most were true to the nondrying claim, at least. I didn’t notice any scent or taste with them.

They were difficult to remove compared to most products; I had the best luck saturating a cotton pad with eye or lip makeup remover (Neutrogena, Lancome, Shiseido, etc.), yet curiously were not that long-wearing on me (relative to liquid lipsticks)–they seemed to develop a little tackiness with any meal or drink (even just water) and degraded from there. Overall, the formula was extremely disappointing after the successful Vice lipstick launch last year.